Dwight cursed himself as he searched for the way out of the forest. He had never been good at socializing; it had always been that way, from high school through college and even at work.
"I don't know why I agreed to this trip. I knew it would end like this," he muttered to himself in a sad tone.
Dwight's mediocre job had become an annoyance to him, feeling like he wasn't making any progress, and he wasn't appreciated by his colleagues in any way. He tried hard to fit in, enduring jokes and disdain, but it didn't work.
Now, he found himself lost in a forest because his colleagues had abandoned him. In theory, this outing was meant to foster teamwork, but now he was alone in the woods, which at least had some lighting.
"I have to find a way out; I have work tomorrow," the dark-haired man said aloud, adjusting his glasses.
Elsewhere in the forest, a redhead was finishing her second run of the day. She finally felt exhausted, no longer anxious from the pent-up energy in her body.
"It's time to head back. I've run enough to get some sleep," she told herself, wiping away the sweat.
As she retraced her path, she realized something.
"Great... I'm lost."
Meg kept walking in the direction she thought she had been running, her mind wandering in the solitude of the forest, recalling her mother, who had recently passed away, leaving her with a wound that had not yet healed.
Both survivors ventured deeper into the forest, unaware that someone had noticed their presence and was watching them from their lair. This mysterious figure pressed a switch, plunging the forest into complete darkness and setting out to hunt its prey.
Dwight and Meg looked up, noticing the forest lights had gone out, but they didn't seem broken—perhaps they were only on for a limited time. Unaware of the danger awaiting them, they continued walking, searching for an exit.
Suddenly, the atmosphere felt heavier for Meg as the forest became shrouded in a thick fog, like black clouds covering the ground. Her heart began to race, and though she didn't know why, her body urged her to run. Without much hesitation, she quickened her pace toward a nearby cabin where she found a locker that looked like a good hiding place. She decided to hide there, trying to be as quiet as possible because she could sense that whatever was chasing her was near.
On the other side, as the forest grew more eerie, Dwight remained calm despite the dark fog and the lights going out—he didn't sense any immediate danger. He came across an exit as he walked, smiling as he tried to open it using a lever next to the large gate, only to be disappointed when nothing happened.
"It seems it needs power," Dwight said to himself as he inspected the switch.
As he examined the exit, he noticed a cable running from the lever, likely connected to an electrical panel or something that provided power to the gate. Determined, Dwight followed the cable.
After following the electric line from the gate, Dwight found a cabin where the cable seemed to end. He saw that the cable was connected to a generator, which was surely what powered the gate. As he approached, the anxious young man noticed that the generator was damaged, but it didn't seem too serious—just a matter of fixing a few circuits and turning the right switches. With determination, Dwight began repairing the generator.
Meanwhile, as Meg remained hidden in the locker, her heart began to calm. Whatever had frightened her seemed to have moved away from the cabin. Unsure whether to leave or stay hidden, she began hearing the sound of someone working on a motor.
With some trepidation, Meg slowly emerged from the locker. To her surprise, she found a young man kneeling and tinkering with the generator she hadn't noticed earlier due to her rushed escape. Gently, she tapped him on the shoulder.
Dwight jumped in fear when he felt someone's touch on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw a stranger staring at him. His body trembled, and he felt the urge to scream. Sensing this, Meg quickly covered his mouth.
"There's something else here, something dangerous. If you scream, it'll hear us. I won't hurt you, I promise. I'm just trapped in this forest like you, and I want to get out. Do you promise not to scream?"
Dwight processed the situation. It seemed he wasn't the only one stuck in this eerie forest. He slowly nodded, prompting Meg to gently release his mouth.
Both sighed, relieved by the tension of meeting another stranger in such a desolate place.
"I'm Meg, Meg Thomas. What's your name?"
"Dwight, Dwight Fairfield," the young man stammered.
"Why were you messing with that thing?" Meg asked, pointing to the generator.
"I found... an exit... but it needs power from this generator," he explained nervously.
"I see... I'll help you fix it. We'll finish faster that way."
"Okay..."
Dwight returned to working on the generator, feeling a bit uneasy. After all, he couldn't afford to fully trust a stranger, at least not yet.
Meg knelt on the opposite side of Dwight, but when she started to work on the generator, she was lost—she couldn't make sense of the tangled wires. Meg felt foolish for offering to help when she had no idea how generators worked.
Dwight noticed the generator wasn't making any more noise from Meg side, so he asked the girl.
"Are you... having any trouble?" the dark-haired man asked timidly.
"No!" Meg quickly replied.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt," Dwight said, thinking he had offended her.
Meg didn't even put her hands on the generator, which Dwight noticed. So, he decided to take the initiative.
"Meg, could you come over here for a second?" Dwight asked softly.
Meg, resigned, followed Dwight's request, standing up and moving to his side.
"What do you need?" she asked as she knelt beside the other survivor.
"The engine's simple. It works with basic circuits... Look, I'll show you."
After explaining, Dwight showed Meg how to connect the wires, power the cylinders, and prevent the generator from leaking more oil than necessary.
"See? Easy. Do you think you can finish this generator?" Dwight said with a small smile.
"I'll try..." Meg said hesitantly.
With Dwight's guidance, Meg managed to finish repairing the generator in no time.
"I did it," she said with a small smile, standing to face her companion.
"I knew you could," Dwight said, smiling back.
Suddenly, both their hearts started racing violently.
"Oh no! It's coming!" Meg exclaimed.
"What?! What's coming?" Dwight replied.
"I don't know what or who, but you can feel it in your heart—you know it's dangerous."
"What do we do?! The door didn't activate, and the lights didn't come on. There must be more generators around here," the dark-haired man said, feeling increasingly fearful.
With little time to think, Meg blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
"You're good with these things. Find the other generators, and I'll distract it," the redhead said, her heart pounding faster.
"Are you crazy?!" Dwight exclaimed.
"There's no time—just find the other generators!" Meg ignored further reasoning and ran out of the cabin. A man, standing nearly seven feet tall, equipped with a terrifying mask and a bloodied knife, quickly approached her.
"Well, at least he's seen me. Dwight should be able to escape."
Running as fast as she could, Meg led the monster away from the cabin. Unfortunately for her, he was quite fast too. No matter how hard she pushed her speed, she felt the creature getting closer and, before she knew it, a knife slashed across her forearm.
Meg winced in pain but didn't have much time to dwell on it. The adrenaline from the hit gave her a surge of energy, and her pace quickened. Taking this chance, the redhead put even more distance between herself and the beast.
Unfortunately, Meg started to feel exhausted again. The adrenaline had worn off, and her legs trembled from fatigue. The man chasing her finally knocked her out with the handle of his knife.
"AHHH!" she cried out in pain as her body hit the ground.
Her vision blurred, but when she regained her senses, she realized the giant man was carrying her over his shoulder.
"Let me go!" Meg screamed, kicking and punching, trying to break free from her captor's grip. She was so focused on escaping that she didn't realize the killer was heading toward a large hook.
With a swift motion, the monster impaled Meg's shoulder on the hook.
"AHHHHH!" Her scream of pain echoed through the forest. After ensuring she had no chance of escaping, the two-meter man walked away. He had another prey to hunt.
When Meg ran out of the cabin, Dwight didn't hesitate to search for the next generator. Meg had volunteered to be bait—he couldn't let her down. It didn't take long for him to find one similar to the one in the cabin. Carefully avoiding messing up the circuits, he began repairing it, feeling closer and closer to escaping.
While repairing the generator, a loud scream snaps him out of his concentration. It sounded like Meg's voice. The guy with glasses needs to make sure his partner is okay, but if he leaves the motor, none of them will escape. Using all his skill, he repairs the generator in just a few minutes.
When the machine signals that it's fully repaired, Dwight sneaks toward where he heard the scream. Crouching to move quietly, he spots the other human or whatever it is that's with them in the forest.
Fear grips the survivor as he watches from a bush while the monster searches furiously inside the lockers and even through the cabins. The killer starts placing bear traps around certain areas, making Dwight watch his steps more carefully.
Once the trapper moves far enough away, the guy with glasses hurries along, following the sound of painful groans that guide him to find Meg bleeding from the shoulder, hanging from a giant hook.
"Meg!" Dwight exclaims as he gently unhangs his companion.
The redhead groans in pain as the hook is pulled out of her shoulder.
"I'm... glad... you're okay," Meg smiles between groans of pain.
Dwight notices the wound on her forearm in addition to the hole in her shoulder.
"What happened?" Dwight asks.
"There's someone else here like I told you... he caught me," Meg explains without going into too much detail.
"I saw him too while coming here. Let me heal your wounds," Dwight says nervously.
Meg hesitates but allows her companion to bandage her injuries. Using pieces of cloth as clean as possible, he stops the bleeding. While Meg didn't have much faith, she does feel noticeably better.
"Thanks... Did you manage to repair the generator?" asks the runner.
"Yeah. Only one more to go," says the guy with glasses with a small smile.
As they speak, their hearts start racing again.
"Oh no! He's coming back!" Meg exclaims.
Both notice the trapper approaching, and Dwight takes the initiative.
"I'll distract him this time! Find the last generator," the guy orders.
"But he'll catch you!" his companion replies.
"What matters is distracting him. You're pretty hurt, and you might only hold up for a little longer. Remember what I taught you about repairs. Now run!" Dwight says as he heads toward the trapper to get his attention.
Meg watches as her companion lures the lunatic away, then starts searching for the generator.
The survivor runs as the trapper follows closely. Dwight isn't as fast as the redhead, so after a short chase, the killer slashes him in the arm with his knife.
Groaning in pain, the guy speeds up, knowing he needs to lose him somehow. Looking around, he spots a pallet near some rocks. Seeing the killer still on his tail, Dwight heads for the pallet and drops it on the hunter's face, stunning him for a few seconds.
While his pursuer is dazed, Dwight moves slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible, hiding in bushes and behind nearby trees until he loses the killer. Now, he must hurry to find the final generator.
Meg finds the last motor, and without much thought, she starts repairing it, though her mind wanders, wondering if Dwight is okay alone against the monster. But she can't afford to get lost in thought—the generator is the priority; otherwise, no one will escape.
As she reaches the halfway point in repairing the generator, Dwight appears, blood dripping from his arm.
"Dwight! Are you okay?!" Meg exclaims with concern.
"Yeah, don't worry. I checked the wound; it's not that deep," the guy says with a smile, though the injury hurts like hell. But there's no time to stop repairing the generator.
"Alright..." the runner responds with some concern.
As they work together, the girl decides to talk a bit. The silence caused by their focus on the repair is making her tense.
"How did you end up here?" Meg asks.
"My coworkers ditched me here. One of their usual pranks," the guy with glasses says with a forced laugh.
The redhead's eyes widen in surprise.
"That sounds extreme for a prank."
"What can I say... they don't like me much. What about you?" the survivor asks, not stopping the repair.
"I was just running... I usually run to relieve stress... let's just say I can't sit still."
Dwight smiles a bit.
"That's great. You can really tell by your figure how athletic you are," Dwight says without thinking.
"What?" the redhead replies, surprised.
"Oh, sorry... It's just that you have a really attractive body... I should shut up now," the guy with glasses says, afraid he's offended his companion.
"Thanks," Meg says in a soft voice. She hadn't received a compliment from a guy in a long time—she was never popular with them due to her personality.
Dwight just smiles, and after a few minutes, they finish repairing the generator.
"Done. I know where the exit is. Follow me," the guy with glasses says.
As they head toward the exit, both survivors are careful with their steps. Every time their hearts race, alerted by the trapper's presence, they hide in bushes or behind rocks, sometimes even using lockers. After what feels like an eternity, they arrive at the door.
"I know how this door works. You have to hold the switch down for a long time. You handle that, and I'll keep watch in case that monster comes for us."
"Alright." Though Meg is afraid of her companion taking such a risk, they can't stop now—they're so close to escaping that there's no room for hesitation.
The three lights on the door begin turning on one by one. Just as the second light is about to fully illuminate, their hearts race again.
"Dwight, he's coming! What do we do?!" Meg asks in panic, not letting go of the lever.
"I'll handle it. Don't let go of that switch."
Swallowing his fear, Dwight runs toward the trapper, planning to intercept him directly. Meg's eyes widen in shock. She didn't think Dwight would be willing to take such a risk, but she remains clinging to the lever.
Dwight runs, leading the trapper as far from the exit as possible, praying Meg can escape. He manages to dodge the killer's strikes for several minutes, even dropping more pallets on him. But the killer is determined not to let both of them escape, and in a moment of carelessness, Dwight steps into one of the killer's traps.
As he struggles to free himself, the monster strikes him in the back with his knife, knocking him to the ground. Then the Dwight is lifted onto the killer's shoulders and hung on a hook just seconds later, as it was very close.
"AHHHHHHHH!" The guy's scream echoes through the forest.
Meg is startled when her companion's cry reaches her ears. The door opens, allowing the redhead to escape. Slowly, she begins to walk the path that connects the forest to the exit, tempted to flee. She's so close. But the thought of abandoning Dwight troubles her. On one hand, this guy is a complete stranger— is it worth risking her life for someone she has no connection with? Making her decision, she quickens her pace.
Groaning in pain on the hook, Dwight resigns himself to his fate, tears welling up. At least he did something good for someone. Meg is probably far away by now and safe. The only comfort Dwight has is that he saved someone's life.
As he accepts his fate, he hears movement in some bushes in front of the hook. Is the hunter back to admire his prey? To Dwight's surprise, it's Meg who steps out of those bushes.
"Meg?! You didn't escape?!" Dwight says, filled with both joy and concern that she came back for him.
"I'm not as bad as your coworkers," Meg replies as she unhooks her ally.
"Now, I'll heal you," the runner explains softly.
Dwight relaxes as his partner stops the bleeding and cleans his wounds. When she finishes, the two heroes are happy to be reunited.
"Let's get out of here," Meg says, heading for the exit.
"Nothing would make me happier," Dwight replies, closely following the girl.
Unfortunately for the wounded pair, when they approach the exit quietly, their living nightmare is standing right by the door, probably waiting for one of them to try escaping.
They approach the door silently, hiding behind a large rock, discussing their next move.
"What do we do?" Dwight asks.
"I don't know... we're so close, but that jerk is blocking the way," Meg says with frustration.
"Should one of us distract him again?" the guy with glasses asks.
"Too risky. If he hangs you far from the entrance, it'll be harder to save you," Meg replies.
"That's true. But we can't just sit here doing nothing. Who knows how long the generators will stay powered before they shut down again" Dwight explains.
"There's only one option left... we'll have to run through him. Do you think you can take a hit? We'll have to dash for the exit, ignoring everything— the pain, the fear—just focus on escaping."
Meg's plan seems risky, but it's their best shot. Taking a deep breath, the dark-haired guy gathers his courage.
"Let's do it."
With one final glance, they both sprint toward the exit—Meg to the left, Dwight to the right. This seems to confuse the trapper, as he can't decide who to attack. By the time he swings his knife, it's too late. Both survivors are too far ahead, and his strike misses, leaving a clear path for them to escape
Away from that cursed forest, they arrive at a brighter place where there's a gas station, a store, and plenty more that fills the survivors with relief.
"We did it!" Meg says joyfully as she hugs Dwight.
"Yes! I'm so happy about it!" the dark-haired guy responds as he returns the hug.
After breaking the hug, they start walking. Feeling more relaxed, they decide to chat a bit more.
"What will you do now, Dwight?" Meg asks.
"Well, I'll look for medical help to heal us and then quit my job," the guy with glasses says with a smile.
"That's great because I was going to kick you if you decided to stay in that job," Meg replies in a playful tone.
"I'm glad that won't be necessary. What about you? What will you do now?" Dwight asks.
"I'll look for a new place to run, and maybe get back to my studies. I've avoided it for too long," the redhead explains in a soft voice.
"I'm glad to hear that," Dwight says with a smile.
"I'd also like to go out with a timid guy with glasses," Meg says with a slight blush.
"Haha, good one. A girl like you wanting to go out with someone like me?" Dwight laughs.
Meg stops walking to look Dwight in the eyes.
"I'm not joking."
The guy with glasses is very surprised.
"Seriously? I'm nothing special. I'm easily scared, not attractive, and I'm 27—you look a lot younger," the guy says with a slight blush.
"It's only a four-year difference, I'm 23. And don't say that about yourself, you're a good leader and a great teacher. Thanks to you, I learned how to fix generators in minutes," Meg explains in a soft voice.
Dwight blushes even more. His companion's voice sounds so sincere, something he never expected—no girl had ever been interested in him before.
"Do you really want to go out with me?" he asks timidly.
"Yes, I do," Meg's voice shows no doubt.
"Then I have no choice because I want to go out with you too," Dwight explains.
Meg blushes. She gently takes Dwight's hand and then plants a kiss on his lips, making the guy's face turn bright red like a tomato.
"Now let's go get our wounds treated," Meg says after breaking the kiss.
"Yes, let's do that. Did you know that was my first kiss?" Dwight replies as they resume walking, now holding hands.
"How did it feel? Did it feel good?" the redhead asks, blushing.
"It exceeded all my expectations," Dwight says without hesitation.
Both survivors smile at each other as they head off to find help. As long as they stay together, they can face anything—killers, entities, no matter what. Their love will conquer it all.